News Releases and Statements

A North Carolina man entered a guilty plea on Monday for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

On Saturday, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents working jointly with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) seized 300 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of $6.5 million.

David Duncan was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison for child pornography violations. Duncan, a convicted sex offender, was being investigated for purchasing access to a child pornography website.

Adam Jennings, of Plano, Texas, pleaded guilty on Feb. 15 to transporting child pornography. On December 2, he was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Richard Schell.

Otto Linzenbach, 63, of Leipzig, Germany, pleaded guilty in August to three charges: attempted sex trafficking of children, attempted exploitation of children and travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

As part of his plea agreement, Tyrone Jackson, of Baltimore, must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student. This must all be done under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

David Lavern Paine, a registered sex offender from Orange County, made his initial appearance in federal court Thursday, following his arrest after witnesses allegedly observed him viewing child pornography on one of the local public library's computers. When asked way he was doing it in a public library, he responded "because it's available."

Michael Peterson, 58, was taken into custody at his residence by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Peterson is charged in a three-count criminal complaint with possessing, receiving and distributing child pornography.

Five San Francisco-area members of the La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang were sentenced Thursday to life in prison on charges stemming from a racketeering probe spearheaded by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The five defendants were convicted by a jury Aug. 30, after a five-month trial.

Five men from Falfurrias, Texas, who were part of an organized effort to transport marijuana, pleaded guilty to drug charges Dec. 1.

George Christopher Giron was sentenced to seven years and two months in federal prison on Tuesday for possession with intent to distribute 306 kilograms (673 pounds) of marijuana found during a traffic stop. The case was investigated by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Douglas Bruce Parsons pleaded guilty this week to receiving child pornography, after an investigation conducted by ICE's HSI. Agents that executed a search warrant discovered more than 58 hours of videos containing child pornography on hard drives in Parson's home.

Kenneth Schneider, 47, of Philadelphia, was convicted by a federal jury on Oct. 1, 2010. In the summer of 1998, Schneider, founder and president of the Apogee Foundation, traveled to Moscow, Russia, where he told two ballet instructors at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography that he was willing to provide "assistance" to students attending the academy.

Two New York men have been charged for violating the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA), a law which prohibits unlicensed financial transactions with Cuban nationals. Both individuals were arrested on charges stemming from an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Bobby Cruz of Des Plaines, Ill., who was arrested last month for allegedly transporting child pornography via computer, was indicted on new charges alleging that he manufactured child pornography involving at least three minor victims.

Ronald Alan Seiver of Roseville, Ill., was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting children and possessing child pornography. During the execution of a search warrant, ICE HSI agents recovered 119 images and 34 video files of child pornography, including images of children in bondage and children under the age of 12.

An upstate New York man pleaded guilty to possessing, with the intent to distribute, marijuana. The charge carries a maximum term of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Two western Washington men who operate websites that allegedly sell pirated copies of movies, television shows and software have been charged with copyright infringement in a two-count federal complaint stemming from a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

A 43-year-old Mexican national was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on Wednesday for alien smuggling that resulted in the death of nine illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

A federal grand jury indicted Saavedra-Vega on March 16, 2011. He pleaded guilty on April 14. Following his federal prison term, Saavedra-Vega will be deported.

Matthew R. Fisher, a former Columbus-area high school teacher and eighth-grade girls' basketball team coach, was sentenced Wednesday to 36 months in prison for possessing 600 images of child pornography following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

A federal jury in Rochester has found a Jamaican national guilty of two counts of assaulting a federal officer. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a and $250,000 fine.

Thomas Jacob Weldon pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to identity theft and possessing child pornography. Weldon admitted using personal information of three Jamestown, N.D., residents to purchase items for his own use, and admitted possessing videos on his computer which depict children involved in sexually explicit conduct.

A Maryland man was sentenced earlier today to federal prison for illegal re-entry into the United States following removal for the commission of an aggravated felony following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Frederick Police Department.

The Republic of Poland issued an Interpol warrant for Pitucha for his alleged role in stealing 18 luxury vehicles as a member of an organized criminal group. He faces trial in Poland on these charges.